Chapter 305: Grudge Council

Sinuoli's gaze fell upon the horned helmet with the orange crest resting on the chair; it seemed this was the source of Agelimu's sky-high crest.

"Since the era of King Balage, this helmet has been worn by every successive Slayer King!" Agelimu muttered, seeing the look of surprise on Sinuoli's face.

"The north wind howling through the mountains carries tales of your deeds, and I have always looked upon you as an example," Sinuoli replied with a salute. Agelimu was his elder and the recognized greatest warrior of the Mountain Kingdom, well deserving of his respect.

"By the way, do you know an Ogre called Iron-Head Ahetanmu?" Following the Dwarf custom of exchanging a few compliments, Agelimu suddenly brought up an old acquaintance.

"I do indeed know him, why?" Sinuoli still remembered that fellow; back then, when he was able to slay the Night Goblin Warlord at Fearless Fort, the future Eight Peaks commander Skarsnik had played a part in it.

"The Ogre Tyrant Honglong Penpi Kongjiage-the-Kin-Eater, who occupies Peak Pass, raided our caravan, and I took a group of brothers to deal with them. Just as I was about to chop off that fellow's head, Ahetanmu ambushed it from behind, hoping to trade it for his own wretched life."

Agelimu licked his lips, as if a bloody battle that would be enough for an ordinary lord to boast about for decades was trivial. Decent Ogres all had nicknames; although the longest title in this world belonged to Settra, the nicknames of Ogres were broader in scope and richer in meaning.

"He stole my kill, but although his iron head is a bit lacking, it counts as some compensation." Agelimu whistled, "However, that fellow knelt and said he knew you, and even claimed you promised to cooperate with him again, so I simply spared him once."

As they spoke, one participant after another entered the throne room. Sinuoli discovered that the seating arrangements here were divided by fortress, guild, and clan, which were the three components of Dwarf society.

Sinuoli saw many acquaintances; Lord Alike of Haojiaobao, Lord Sawake of Fearless Fort, and others had also come to attend the meeting. People he knew and didn't know would perform a grand salute upon seeing him.

Sinuoli returned each salute, making them feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze, but Agelimu did not care much for these formalities; the Slayer King sat down, placed his helmet on his knees, and entered a light doze.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Amidst a rhythmic sound of footsteps, Thorgrim walked up the stairs surrounded by the Eternal Hammer, sat upon the Throne of Power, and spread open the Great Book of Grudges, placing it on the stand before him.

"Representatives of the Mountain Kingdom, welcome. I am very happy to tell you all that in the past fifty years, many entries have been struck from the Dammaz Kron, including some old grudges that had persisted for several millennia."

Thorgrim's voice carried a soaring fighting spirit; he had reason to be happy, as this was the first time since the Dark Age. Thunderous applause erupted in the throne room; the clansmen praised the Ancestor Gods, praised the leadership of the High King, and also praised Sinuoli, who had recovered the Southlands.

"The Ancestor Gods have awakened, the ancestral lands in the south have been recovered, and more fresh blood has joined our ranks. Just a short while ago, that pig Dieter also rolled off the imperial throne, and the mountains' most loyal ally has returned to our side." Thorgrim continued his opening remarks, and the voices of the participants grew even louder.

"Ancestor Chosen!"

"King of the Southlands!"

"Restorer!"

"Storm Hammer!"

"The Generous!"

The newly invented rune telegraphs and traditional taverns and bards had spread Sinuoli and his deeds throughout the entire Old World. The Dwarfs knew who had brought about those changes, and what made them even more excited was that Sinuoli was still young enough; he had plenty of time to continue moving forward.

The representatives of these organizations knew a bit more information than the average clansman; perhaps the young High Prince would have the opportunity to cross the boundaries of the mortal, leading the mountains as a Demigod or even a true god.

Sinuoli sat upright; as a junior, there was no harm in appearing humble. And Thorgrim smiled very heartily; looking at the hall full of praise for his son, what father would not feel proud?

"Let us begin, everyone. We shall follow tradition: report the old grudges settled over these fifty years and those new grudges deemed worthy of being added to the Great Book of Grudges." Thorgrim gestured for Agelimu to start.

"Karak-Kadrin, no new additions. But we have slain the Dragon of Black Peak and killed the Chaos Champion, the Scarless Pulaquisi. The followers of Grimnir will bring death to the enemy and bring back glory for themselves!"

The Slayer King brought good news again; with the Dargo Axe in hand, Agelimu could solve almost any threat in this world. Even when the End Times arrived, relying on the Wind of Fire, he had managed to chip the blade of Archaon's Kingslayer sword, and the armor of the first Everchosen, Namokai, had likewise been left with marks by the Dargo Axe.

After Agelimu, the heads of each group stood up in order; the content of their reports was much the same, with Greenskins and Skaven being the absolute protagonists. Just as Sinuoli was becoming drowsy, a name woke him up.

"Belegar Ironhammer of the Angrund Clan."

Sinuoli looked toward the sound and discovered a young Dwarf standing up from the front row of the clan section. Upon hearing this clan name, almost all the attendees reacted the same way as Sinuoli.

"Is that really Belegar?" Sinuoli muttered. At the beginning of his transmigration, the two of them had met once. At that time, Belegar was hiding behind his brother Domuga, a very normal young man.

But now, this last bloodline of the Angrund Clan bore the grudges and oaths of his ancestors, struggling against the vast sea of Greenskins in the mountains of the Badlands. The exhaustion of body and spirit made him look far too old, and a scar on his cheek seemed to be telling his story.

"My people have retaken Karak-Dorn, but the situation is not very good. The resources of Thunder Mountain have been mostly developed, and contact with the outside world is frequently cut off." Belegar's voice was a bit hoarse; this was likely a sequela of the battlefields and the constant war cries in the tunnels.

Karak-Dorn was a small fortress on the outskirts of Eight Peaks; Clan Chief Gelate, who originally lived there, had led his clan to abandon their ancestral home and join Sinuoli's Expeditionary Force.

"I have tried to infiltrate Eight Peaks with small squads, but the Earth Vein Network is severely damaged, and on the surface, the Goblins move faster than the Rangers, relying on their four-legged beasts."

Belegar spoke of his situation; this was his first time attending the Grudge Council, and looking at the hall full of dignitaries, this self-proclaimed rightful owner of Eight Peaks was trying to secure some resources for himself.

---Author's Note---

Thanks to book friends syr, Zhouyi Taixuan, Wuyi Shouhu, and the user ending in 6713 for their monthly tickets.